Lost Hearts:An Echo From the Past
by AmbitiousAficionado639
Summary: Shattered by loss and betrayal, Evan Tolliver feels like nothing is left for him in life. But when he bumps into a distant acquaintance from the past at an old cafè, he finds himself pouring his heart out to him. An A/U where Evan doesn't die. For The Summer Contest, romance category. IanxEvan multichap.
1. Chapter 1

Helmont's Cafè, an old favourite of Evan's. High tables and comfy chairs took up most of the room, which had a fuzzy, warm air to it, mostly because of the seemingly ancient heater in the corner, which worked surprisingly well, and the thick, purple rug that draped the floor.

Thick fumes swirled out of the cafe's open kitchen, where coffee was being blended. Evan would never understand how the coffee was always so perfect. Not too sweet, but not too bitter, either, and just the right temperature. Thick, creamy and...heavenly.

Evan pushed up his thick, blue Coke-bottle glasses, which were fogging up due to the fumes. He hadn't visited this place in a long time.

"Evan?"

Evan glanced up, a tad annoyed. He'd come up here for some peace and quiet. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to bump into another overly cheery classmate of his from university - he was tired of socialising. Tired of holding up facades, tired of faking smiles.

"Do I know you?" He inquired politely.

"I suppose." The tall, lean guy, who seemed around Evan's age, replied. He had dark hair, enviably smooth, olive skin and breathtaking amber eyes that glistened mischievously under the dull light emitted by the cheap LEDs hung up on the cafe windows. Handsome. He looked vaguely familiar.

All of a sudden, it hit Evan. "Ian Kabra?"

"Precisely," Ian replied.

Ian had changed a lot over the past five years. His British accent hadn't completely disappeared, but it was hardly noticeable anymore. He was still donning his signature outfit - a crisp polo shirt and pressed trousers - but he was a lot thinner than he'd been five years back. His hair was now slightly wavier and a little longer - quite a change from the short trim he used to sport earlier. He was carrying a thick wallet. But after all the time they'd spent together, arguing, researching, trying to crack every code or clue that could lead to the Vesper's downfall, insulting each other, and, finally, bonding - just a little - he could recognise Ian anywhere.

"I thought you preferred tea over coffee?" Evan asked conversationally.

Ian barked out a laugh. "I do. But, unfortunately, here in the States, this will have to do. This shoddy drink you Americans call 'tea'. Just some hot water with one of your 'tea bags' dumped in. Ha. Tea, indeed."

"You're living here permanently, then?"

"I can't afford to go back to Britain." Ian's face darkened.

A pregnant pause followed.

"Erm...How's Amy?" Evan asked, in a feeble attempt to change the subject, awkwardly running his fingers through his sandy hair. He knew Ian well enough to avoid bringing up anything related to finances around him. It was a sore spot for the Lucian.

"She's...fine." Ian pursed his lips. "I haven't seen her in a while. She...she moved to Rome. With Jake. They, um...eloped."

"They _what?"_ Evan sputtered. He'd decided he was over Amy years ago, but hearing about how happy Amy and Jake were together still hurt a little. Amy had been his first real girlfriend, and he'd practically done everything for her. He'd hacked into dozens of illegal portals, followed a billion pointless leads, and even risked his life for her and her family.

And she'd dumped him for a dashing, supposedly brilliant egocentric who was everything Evan wasn't.

He still remembered the day clearly. He'd been young and naive, and he'd assumed he'd found true love in Amy. Evan had decided that he needed a fresh start after the whole Vesper fiasco. And he had been ready for it.

He remembered biking to the park, fresh and excited.

And what he'd seen had nearly knocked him off his bike.

The flash of red hair, the familiar grey jacket. Entwined closely around another all too familiar body. Jake Rosenbloom's.

"A-Ames?"

He'd refused to believe it. He'd pegged all his suspicions down to insecurity on his part, and even when he'd been presented with clear cut evidence, he hadn't been able to face up to the truth. He hadn't been able to face up to the fact that Amy and he weren't soul mates, that they weren't meant for each other, that they weren't in love. Sixteen-year-old Evan had locked himself in his room for months after the incident, wondering what he'd done wrong.

Amy had tried to explain. "It was a mistake," she'd claimed. "He's a great guy, Evan. Give him a chance."

The two statements had so blatantly contradicted each other. It definitely _hadn't_ been a mistake. Amy had replaced boring, geeky Evan with handsome, charismatic Jake Rosenbloom, and she had nothing to regret about it. She'd simply upgraded to Preppy Boyfriend 2.0.

Now, once he'd started over, he didn't want to be reminded of his ex-girlfriend and her stupid love life.

"I know," Ian said, as though he was reading Evan's mind. "I was shocked, too. I was almost as close to Amy as her brother was at the time, and I knew she was making a mistake." He closed his eyes for a beat. "Much as you were annoying, you seemed perfect for her. Below the geeky demeanour, you _were_ a good person at heart. But Jake, on the other hand...he seemed to want Amy only for her money, her connections..."

"Then why didn't you talk to her?" It came out a little harsher than Evan had intended it to. He knew that blaming Ian for Amy's decisions was stupid, but he found it hard to help himself. And, okay, he was also tired of Ian needling him and calling him annoying and geeky at every passing opportunity. For a Lucian, the guy could be really blunt at times.

"Jake was handsome, but he had nothing else going for him. He was a shallow, vapid egoistic. And, believe me, I tried. I teased him at every opportunity, flirted with Amy when he was around to make him jealous, called him names, but..."

"Well, then?"

"She didn't listen. She shoved me across the room and said some pretty harsh stuff, and she hasn't called me since. I moved to the States for her and Daniel last year, just so that we could be there for each out it was a futile decision."

"How's Dan?"

"Heartbroken because of Amy, but mostly okay." Ian grimaced. "They used to decide everything together. Now..."

"I get it. Amy seems pretty...different from the girl I used to know."

"She is."

Evan sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"Why don't we get a drink?" he enquired, wearily.

Surprisingly, Ian nodded. Evan had expected him to decline in his usual snooty way.

They chatted for an hour, and it was astonishingly pleasant. Ian was a lot more than what he appeared to be beneath the ice cold, snooty demeanour he projected to the world.

It turned out Ian had been lonely, too. After Natalie's death, he'd struggled to cope, and Amy ditching him had been the last straw. Apart from lunch with Dan and a few occasional sessions where he 'financially advised' him, Ian had mostly been cooped up in the house, brooding and doing nothing. Dan came over a few times, but this was apparently the first time Ian had left the house otherwise in a long time.

When Ian left, Evan felt surprisingly empty. It had been a long time since he'd been this open with someone, too.

* * *

 **...to be continued.**

 **A/N-So. I'm probably the only person in this whole fandom to write for a ship so vague, but I just started writing and...yep. Evian all the way. I also realized I kinda hated Amy. What she did to Evan was just...pathetic. And David Baldacci? He just killed Evan off to solve a LOVE TRIANGLE? A perfectly good character otherwise. Not cool, dude.**

 **They just feel so perfect together. And writing this is actually kinda addictive. And fun. So I'm going to continue, and sorry for ending this chapter so abruptly, BTW.**

 **And yeah, maybe it's a little clichè, but this is my first time writing a romance, so...**

 **Also, as always, reviews, especially CC, are welcome.**

 **Signing off,**

 **EvilLucian639**

 **;)**


	2. Chapter 2

Ian Kabra flung his phone across the room in anger.

Another rejection. Another disappointment.

He remembered the golden days, the days when he could persuade anyone into buying anything from him with a charming smile and a few suave, eloquent words. He could've sold a cartoon doodle of Daniel's for a thousand dollars if he'd wanted to.

But the business had been doing terribly for the past few months. Maybe Ian's loneliness was finally getting to him, or maybe he'd lost his ability to charm people into doing everything for him. Maybe, just maybe, his skills had gotten rusty after so many years and all his Lucian traits we're beginning to fade away into nothing.

Ian felt as though he'd morphed into someone entirely different over the past few years. He didn't _feel_ like a Kabra anymore.

He was tired of his life.

Groaning, he reluctantly walked across the room to pick up his phone. He'd aimed it at a cushion, and years of playing polo had given him a good aim. Thankfully, it hadn't cracked. For some reason, throwing inanimate objects at the wall in anger had never felt satisfying to him. Probably because he was a clear-headed Lucian, not a rash peasant like Daniel. _Or Joke._ Even in anger, Ian couldn't bring himself to actually break anything.

Jake. Evan. Dan. Amy. _Natalie._ They'd all been on his mind lately, ever since he'd bumped into Evan at the coffee shop. Ian hadn't thought about them in a long time. He'd been trying to forget about his past. But suddenly, he couldn't focus on _anything else..._

 _Stop. Thinking. About. Them. They aren't worth your time._

 _Well, in retrospect, Evan isn't so bad..._

Evan. He hadn't made much of an impression on Ian at first, but he'd begun to grow on him. He was dedicated, for one. And he was pretty smart. Logical. Ian didn't have to patiently explain the simplest of things to him, as he had to do with most other people. He understood the British culture, to some extent, and respected Ian's space. He wasn't annoyingly clingy, like most Americans he'd met at work.

After the Vesper incident, when they'd parted ways, Ian had almost missed him, for a while. He'd actually proposed to invite him to the Cahill mansion, but Amy had declined. _We've not been getting along that well lately, s_ he'd said. _Besides, I'm with Jake now, so that would be a little awkward, you know?_

 _Maybe he'd understand. He's been through almost as much as I have, so he should be able to empathize with what I'm going through..._

Before he even knew what he was doing, Ian was dialing his number.

 _Whoa, I haven't used that number in years. How do I still remember it?_

"Evan Tolliver here. May I know who's calling?"

"Are you busy?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Ian."

"That's quite right."

"Oh." Evan sounded a tad surprised. "Uh...no, I'm not. Why? is everything alright?"

"Yes, it's fine." Ian paused. "I've just been feeling really lonely lately. I was wondering if I could drop by?"

"Sure." Silence. "Did I tell you my address?"

"Flat 105, Crescent Street, right?"

"First of all, we call it an 'apartment' here, and...I don't live there anymore. I shifted last year. But you _do_ have a remarkable memory. I must have mentioned that, what, once? Not to mention it was years ago."

Ian felt himself flushing red, for some reason. "It's a Lucian trait," he retorted.

"Well, it's admirable." Evan laughed. "I barely remember what I ate for breakfast this morning. Oh, wait...I do. Cereal. That's all I've been eating lately, because these days, I've been too lethargic to cook something decent for myself. I really _am_ getting lazier."

"I think I'm headed there." Ian barked out a laugh. "Look how the mighty have fallen. My breakfast today? A pathetic piece of bread I shoddily buttered up with a cheap brand of butter I bought from the store across the street. Followed by a glass of orange juice."

"Hard to believe."

"I know. These days, I spend all my time moping around the house, playing chess with myself and taking calls from rich old grannies with simply preposterous offers. The mighty Ian Kabra, reduced to... _this."_

"What about Dan?" Evan inquired concernedly. "He _does_ visit, right?"

"Every month or so."

Evan sighed. "I'm really starting to doubt everything I know about friendship," he said. "When you need friends, none of them are there for you. I thought what Amy and I had was true love. Evidently, it wasn't. And Dan...I can only imagine what the poor boy is going through."

He's broken," Ian replied. "He's lost all the hope he ever had. I mean, I've gotten over what Amy did, but he hasn't. Just looking at him that way makes me want to kill her, at times. How could she do that to her little brother? They used to be so close. But once Amy went to college with Jake, everything fell apart."

"And Atticus? How's he?"

"I really have no idea. I imagine Jake abandoned him the same way Amy left Dan."

"Why don't we continue this miserable little conversation at Helmont's?" Evan suggested. "I think my battery's about to die."

"Great idea. Meet you in ten minutes," Ian assented, clicking off the call.

He felt surprisingly light, like a heavy load had been heaved off his chest. Before he'd bumped into Evan at the coffee shop, Ian hadn't spoken with him in years. He'd almost forgotten how comfortable he felt around him. At sixteen, when he still had Natalie, Ian had taken that for granted. He hadn't needed anyone back then. But now...it was a very different story indeed.

As a Lucian, Ian had always been taught to be alert, to not to trust people and to wield them as pawns. He didn't feel that way around Evan. For some reason, he trusted him.

And he didn't have anything left to lose. Evan couldn't break him further than Amy already had.

 _Fine,_ he decided. _I'm in. I hope this is worth the risk. The risk of trusting him, letting him in,_ confiding _in a boy I haven't heard from in years_.

* * *

Ian was early.

Evan remembered that about him. He liked being early to everything. To charity events, interviews, plays...

Ian acknowledged him with a small wave.

"I ordered a frappuccino with extra whipped cream for you," he informed him. "That was your favourite, right?"

"Yes. Yet again, your flawless memory astounds me," he commented.

Ian smiled and nodded lightly. Firelight reflected off his mesmerizing amber eyes, making them appear strikingly bold and fierce although his expression was serene. His olive skin glowed in the warm light, and he looked even more handsome than usual.

 _Not that it's relevant. It's just hard to overlook..._

Every girl in the shop was staring at him longingly, but Ian appeared to not notice.

Evan took a sip of his frappucino. "Heavenly," he breathed.

"Hey, I almost forgot. You never gave me your new address."

"Oops, I almost forgot," Evan apologized, pulling out a pen from his pocket to scribble it down on a napkin. "Drop by anytime you feel like it. My door's always open. I have nothing to do the whole day. Except, you know, code." He pushed the napkin across the table, towards Ian. "I'm working on a few projects, but then again, I mostly get all my work done at night." He smiled. "Perks of having an 'abnormal' job. I have no fixed working hours."

Ian rolled his eyes. "How could I forget your skewed up cycles? You used to be such a pain; working on clues into the night. And then you wouldn't get up till ten in the morning."

"Well, at least I'd leave sticky notes around the centre to tell you about my progress," he replied. The sticky notes. Evan remembered sticking them _everywhere,_ informing Ian about every little thing he'd done at night so Ian wouldn't force him to get up in the morning. They'd read, 'Finally figured out what this means. That was one tough site to hack', or 'I think this guy's a Vesper. Investigate', or even 'Sorry I raided the fridge, I promise I'll get new supplies tomorrow'. But Ian would try waking him up early anyway, with what Evan had considered complete disregard for all his nightly efforts.

Ian snorted. "Sticky notes. I think you used up seven packs."

Evan laughed. "Can I have your address as well?"

"I'll text it to you once we get back," Ian retorted. "For now, let's just enjoy the coffee."

Evan sipped his coffee contentedly. Just like the evening, it was perfect.

* * *

 **A/N-Okay, that was a tad abrupt, but...well. I'll update more.**

 **I've been trying to concentrate on NaNoWriMo instead of this, but I just had this sudden urge to continue this...ya know? Plus, 2,000 words a day is just not my thing. I'm usually the type who goes on a writing marathon on one day...and sleeps in the next. I just CAN'T write every day. And I'm REALLY lagging behind...so, being the quitter I am...I quit. Seriously, editing, working on a project until it's pristinely perfect...not my thing. I typed this chapter out in one sitting. If I'd left it...I'd never have completed it.**

 **Goodbye, NaNoWriMo *wipes away a tear*. I'll get back to you next year.**

 **Well, now that I've quit THAT (like I quit everything else), let's get in the Christmas mood! Did I mention that this is all taking place around Christmas?**

 **...probably not. But well.**

 **See ya!**

 **~Berry**


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